The original camera stabilization choice of Hollywood is now available for your smartphone or GoPro camera, for $199.99. Meet the Steadicam Volt!
The Kickstarter campaign met its goal long before the end of the running period, and the Steadicam Volt, announced November 2016 but on Kickstarter early 2017, is now finally available to be purchased from retailers. Shipment to the backers started earlier mid-September, and some of the videos created with the new product are already available online, but there are also some complaints about the way the Steadicam Volt works, many of them, apparently, due to people not reading the manual.
The Steadicam Volt, like the original Steadicam from 1970s needs to be perfectly balanced to work properly, and that can take some time. Tiffen, the company behind Steadicam, may say the Steadicam Volt is a case of “Mount, Power On & Go!” , but users expecting to just follow the marketing promise and get results may be in for a surprise. Some are finding the stabilizer has a tendency tilt to the left (or right in some cases) and the company confirmed recently there is a problem, stating this: “our engineers are updating the firmware in the Volt, and are looking to correct the tilting issue with an update that will be accessible through using the Imagemaker App. We will inform you once the update is available.”
Despite having some problems, the Steadicam Volt seems to live up to its promises, as some videos already published by users show. Engineered to provide the utmost precision and control, the Steadicam Volt is designed to enable smartphone users to capture high quality video content with ease… once you follow the set up rules. According to Garrett Brown, inventor of the original Steadicam, “the Volt works fantastically well – it weighs only a pound but feels as inert as a full-size steadicam!”. Other users have confirmed that it really works, and allows consumers to capture outstanding Steadicam quality video right from their smartphone. Some of the videos showed here demonstrate what is possible to achieve.
The Volt is equipped with a 3-axis gyroscopic stabilizer, allowing you to get extended stable video footage in two modes; “Movie” and “Sport”. Once balanced the Steadicam Volt’s, motorized gimbal (powered by long lasting rechargeable Lithium Ion Batteries) will transition to work manually even if the batteries have run out, unlike any other gyro-stabilized gimbal, although stabilization will be… less stable then. This said, the Steadicam Volt, while weighing only one pound, provides increased mobility without jeopardizing stability.
The Steadicam Volt was awarded as a honoree at the 2017 CES Innovation Awards, an annual competition honoring outstanding design and engineering in consumer technology products. Compatible with some GoPro cameras, through an adapter that was announced during the Kickstarter campaign, the final Steadicam Volt is somehow different from the one on the first images, having received a wire brace to offer greater rigidity, especially when running with the Volt. It is recommended that the brace be engaged and locked in, using the locking tab on the front spar for optimal performance. The change was the result of customer feedback, and allows the Volt to carry a heavier and wider phone (up to 85mm wide), plus the addition of GoPro camera compatibility.
Follow the link to know more about the Steadicam Volt from The Tiffen Company.